In our last installment of As The Lockdown Turns, Austin Mayor Steve Adler had tried to order Austin bars and restaurants to close at 10:30 PM for drinking and dining over the New Year’s Weekend. This, in turn, was was overturned by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who notef that his own executive orders precluded this. Adler then appealed to District Judge Amy Clark Meachum, who denied the injunction sought by the state, and Travis County Judge Andy Brown stated “My priority during this pandemic is to protect the health and safety of our community.” As opposed to, you know, actually ruling on the law.
The state, in turn, appealed that decision to the Texas Supreme Court, which, in turn, just issued a rare New Year’s Day ruling which also told Adler to get stuffed:
IN RE STATE OF TEXAS; 3rd Court of Appeals District (03-20-00619-CV)
Without hearing oral argument, and having considered “Defendants Travis County and City of Austin’s Joint Response in Opposition to Plaintiff’s Application for Temporary Injunction,” we conditionally grant the petition for writ of mandamus and direct the court of appeals to issue relief under Texas Rule of Appellate Procedure 29.3, instanter, enjoining enforcement of Travis County’s County Judge Order 2020-24 and the Mayor of the City of Austin’s Order No. 20201229-24 pending final resolution of the appeal. Our writ will issue only if the court of appeals does not comply.
Strangely, the Texas Constitution does not allow elected Democrats to change laws because they really feel strongly about them…
Tags: Amy Clark Meachum, Austin, Greg Abbott, Steve Adler, Texas, Texas Supreme Court, Travis County, Wuhan
I was watching the Houston nightly news when they (approvingly) covered a local judge ruling that drive-through voting could be expanded beyond statutory limits because Covid. People think judges can rule anything they like, and laws don’t apply. Maybe voting in person is more dangerous due to Covid exposure, but a judge cannot make a ruling contrary to the limits of the laws just because he or she thinks it’s a good idea. They simply do not have that authority.